About Library Garden

Library Garden has been conceived as an ongoing conversation among librarians with differing perspectives (public, academic, consortial, state, youth, LIS) but one shared goal: ensuring the health and relevance of libraries.

Library Garden is maintained by a team of contributing editors. We will each contribute to the blog, offering our individual perspectives on issues that affect or relate to libraries of all types. But we will also get together for regular topical conversations — conversations with each other, with others, with you — and post those conversations to the blog.

We love reading interviews, and often find them more interesting and stimulating than the articles that appear in our professional literature. Therefore, we intend to interview members of our extended library family, and occasionally interview folks from outside of the library fold, and post those interviews to the blog for your reading pleasure.

While the Garden is tended by our team of contributing editors, we would also like to open this forum to the occasional guest editor. If you have a piece you’d like to contribute, or discussion you’d like to be a part of, let us know.WHY “LIBRARY GARDEN”? Simple. We’re from New Jersey, the “Garden State”. Before you snicker, consider this: Our tiny little New Jersey ranks number 2 nationally in blueberry production, number 3 in cranberry production, number 3 in bell pepper production and number 4 in peach production. Also we have the best corn and tomatoes in the world. So there.

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“The human intellect dwells on the outer surface of the circle, thinking it knows, while truthful intelligence exists in the center, creating a delightful, contented repose.”_Michael Levy

A Chat With Michael Levy, Author of Point of Life Books and a Professional Optimist

Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as our guest, Michael Levy. Michael calls himself the Professional Optimist and he is the author of The Inspiring Story of Little Goody Two Shoes, The joys of Live Alchemy, Worry Causes Wrinkles, Invest With a Genius, Ultra-Violet Haiku De-Lights, What is the Point?, Minds of Blue, Souls of Gold, Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Thank You Think.

Good day Michael and thanks for participating in our interview.

Michael:

Thank you Norm for taking the time to ask me these questions.

Norm:

Michael, why do you call yourself the Professional Optimist?

Michael:

I guess I have to call myself something and Professional Optimist seems to be a nice label. My glass is not half full or half empty, for if it is half full as many optimistic people state, it may contain toxic thoughts. So, I find it is best to empty my mind every night at bedtime and see what thoughts come in the next day. Refreshing each days thoughts with new ideas and innovations.

Norm:

What do you want your books to do? Amuse people? Provoke thinking? As a follow up, who do you believe will benefit from your books and why?

Michael:

All my books are thought provoking for sure and I do use humor and poetry to provide a wider scope of thought. People can only benefit from reading my books if they are prepared to make changes in the way they identify themselves and the world they live in.

That said, everyone will be given more authentic choices on the way they live their lives, so even if they do not want to make any changes, they will know what does not suit their lifestyle at this point in time. However, every human being on earth will endorse universal truths, if only for one final second before they pop their cork. But then the cry — Too late will not be heard by them.

Norm:

What do you think over the years has driven you as a writer? What keeps you churning out more books?

Michael:

My insights into the joys and sorrows of the human psyche is the driving force behind my philosophy as a writer… Illuminating the ancient teachings of wise sages via my own original analogies, essays, stories and poetry.

I don’t think I see writing books as a churning process rather it is a process that has its own energy.

Integrating authentic wisdom in everyday activities such as, financial investments, illness prevention, contented living, and spiritual awareness, amid many other topics, seems to be my motivation to write more books.

From America’s earliest moments, people have sought truth, honestly, virtue and grace that is inherent in all human beings, yet it seems to elude many most of the time.

People grow frustrated that they wasted moments of happiness that other people seem to be living. However, the people that seem to be happy are also frustrated because they are not as successful as someone else they admire … on and on it goes ad-infinitum.

Point of Life books can deliver answers to searching questions that can solve many problems that get under the skin. Authentic meaning cannot expire it can only be concealed. My teachings explore the simple undeniable truths of life that have existed since humans first set foot on earth, yet have been cleverly hidden by clever devious minds.

Norm:

How do you come up with ideas for what you write?

Michael:

By being a keen observer of the erroneous side of human actions and then asking myself question on how to overcome the trap-falls others fall into. Amazingly the answers always have come though very clearly throughout my life from a source of intelligence that has no labels to describe it. When I retired from the business world it took six years to begin to put the answers to my questions down on paper

Norm:

In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?

Michael:

No liberties are taken with my writing. If any writer take one liberty with the truth, that is one too much.

Norm:

Do you recommend other writers find a niche or specialty? What have been the rewards for you?

Michael:

All writers need to find what they enjoy to write about. If they only write to make money then in my opinion they are wasting their time on earth and the quality of the work will be mediocre at best. For me the reward of writing works that give people choices is itself its own recompense, no other rewards are necessary.

Norm:

How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

Michael:

My articles and poetry can be found on many various website throughout the world. It has not sold many books but many people contact me on a daily basis thanking me for helping them overcome difficulties. Also I find my acronyms and ideas mused by many leading ‘gurus” I guess if I am good enough for them to copy it is a verifications of my writing’s authenticity.

Norm:

Besides yours books, what other writing or other gigs have you found profitable or rewarding?

Michael:

My articles and poetry bring pleasure to other people that are reward enough.

Norm:

Do you worry about the human race?

Michael:

No, I never worry, however I do have concern if the human race can exist in a hundred years time. On its present directions it seems the human race will destroy itself with its cleverness and lack of wisdom.

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Michael Levy?

Michael:

I could go into many ways I differ from anything that has gone before me in the realms of being an authentic writer… My works come from the heart and soul rather than from educated cleverness.

I think it can be best summed up this way … I visited Manchester UK (my old home town) this summer. An old school chum I have not seen in 50 years contacted me from an article about me in a local newspaper. At that time we both sat an exam for Manchester Grammar School (one of the best in the UK) He passed, I failed with flying colors.

He invited me for Friday night dinner, telling me he had just retired from Dean of a London University. He is also an eminent Professor of mathematical statistics.

He was amazed at my success and we had a conversation for three hours as he asked searching questions that opened his mind like never before. At the end of the conversation he was truly impressed and his final comments were …”Michael, you have not been tainted by education and I mean that with heartfelt sincerity. I have heard wisdom spoken tonight.”

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Michael:

Thank you norm … You are one of the best.

“The melodies of the ego and soul are locked in two coded containers, each one holds the other’s codes. They can only be decoded in orchestrated harmony, when the one with intelligent wisdom, conducts the one with intellectual knowledge.” Michael Levy

A Note on the history of posts

Please note that all Library Garden posts dated earlier than September 13,2009 originally appeared on our Blogger site. These posts have been imported to this site as a convenience when searching the entire site for content.

If you are interested in seeing the original post, with formatting and comments in tact, please bring up the original post at our old Blogger site.